Bulk materials such as pet litter and the like are commonly stored, shipped, and ultimately sold to the public in simple paper or cardboard containers, typically a bag or box, or plastic jugs. The bulk materials themselves are generally inexpensive, which makes any profit margin extremely small. Thus, any savings realized through less expensive shipping containers often becomes of extreme importance. In order to minimize cost, conventional containers do not ordinarily have a carrying handle or pour spout.
Bags, which are the most commonly used container for this purpose, are generally torn open at one end to form an opening through which the contents are poured. These bags are sometimes difficult to tear, and the resultant opening may be irregular, making it difficult to accurately control pouring of the contents from the bag. Further, the opening cannot be effectively resealed, and spillage is likely to occur if the bag should be tipped over.
Shipping containers without carrying handles and pour spouts create problems in carrying the container and transferring the bulk material to another receptacle when the material and container are finally sold to a consumer. Specifically, with no handle, the container may be awkward to carry and difficult to control when the stored bulk material is poured from it. Furthermore, there is little or no control over the direction and amount of bulk material poured from the shipping container if it has no pour spout. Thus, more often than not, an excessive amount of the bulk material is poured, resulting in a mess which must then be cleaned up. Essentially, the shipping of bulk materials in containers without carrying handles and pour spouts makes the transport of the container difficult, while the ultimate dispensing of the bulk material is troublesome and prone to spillage of the bulk material.
Accordingly, there is need for a shipping container that is inexpensive, and yet which provides a carrying handle and pour spout for the easy carrying and dispensing of a bulk material shipped in the container.